


Patience is a Waiting Game

by Jimena



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Fjord pov, Gen, Spoilers for Campaign 2 Episode 25
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 19:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15250482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jimena/pseuds/Jimena
Summary: Fjord, Yasha, and Jester discuss their predicament the next morning and make a plan





	Patience is a Waiting Game

Fjord floated on his back, staring up at the stars wheeling overhead in the clear night sky. The glassy surface of the water reflected their light, making it impossible to tell where the sky ended and the sea began, and to Fjord it felt like he was drifting through an ocean of stars.

_Watching_

Fjord frowned as the water beneath him stirred ever so slightly. He righted himself, slowly treading water as he looked around the empty sea, but nothing marred its smooth surface.

_Learn_

Something bumped against the side of his leg, only to disappear just as quickly when he kicked out.

_Provoke_

He spun around frantically in the water, catching sight of a triangular fin just before it slipped back beneath the surface without even a ripple to mark its presence. A sinking feeling entered his stomach.

_Consume_

Rows of teeth tore into the meat of his thigh, dragging him beneath the water’s surface before he could so much as take a breath. He struggled in the creature’s grasp, churning the water to a bloody froth around them. He lashed out, feeling his fist connect against flesh, and just as suddenly as the creature had struck, it was gone again.

Fjord swam for the surface, following the trail of bubbles from his burning lungs to determine which way was up in the disorienting darkness of the water. He could have wept when he spotted the first glimmer of stars above his head, and he redoubled his efforts, frantically cutting through the water

_Potential_

There was a prickle along his spine, and Fjord spun, staring down into the inky abyss below.

A single eye stared back at him, reflecting the faint light of the stars above back at him.

Fjord felt frozen in place, arms and legs refusing to respond as he slowly began to sink back down.

_Patience_

With a flash of teeth and a lazy flick of a fin that grazed the side of his head and sent him spinning in the water, the eye was gone.

Still locked in place, Fjord’s lungs couldn’t take any more. He took a breath and water rushed in.

 

* * *

 

He woke, spluttering and coughing the water from his lungs as the shreds of his dream disappeared from his grasp. Another bucket of water hit him in the face before he could catch his breath, and he heard laughter as he rolled to his side, vomiting up what felt like seawater and freshwater both.

“Up and at ‘em, pretty boy,” the guard sneered as he gagged. He dangled a ring of keys in front of the cage, and Fjord realized his hands were now bound in front rather than behind. “Breakfast time.”

Fjord shook his head, trying to clear the lingering fuzziness from his dream. His thigh twinged in half-remembered agony, and he looked down to see Jester’s head pillowed on his leg, seemingly still asleep despite his movements.

The guard raised another bucket of water in preparation, and Fjord was suddenly shoved into the bars of their cage as Yasha surged forward, manacled hands reaching through the bars and wrapping around the guard’s throat before he could throw the water.

The man gurgled, dropping the bucket and struggling futilely in Yasha’s grasp as she held him suspended in the air. Shouts broke out over the small camp. Yasha tightened her grip, ignoring the bloody furrows being scratched into her arms.

“Yasha,” Fjord said quickly, trying to get her attention. He glanced worriedly at the number of crossbows now pointed in their direction, catching the cold eyes of the slavers’ leader as he watched the incident with a calculating gaze. Fjord felt himself shiver. He patted Yasha’s arm in what he hoped was a non-threatening way, glancing up into eyes gone dark with rage.“Yasha, let the nice gentleman go.”

Slowly, ever so slowly, Yasha’s fingers loosened until the guard dropped to the ground, and she collapsed back against the far side of the cage, head bowed as she breathed heavily.

“Yeah, that’s right,” the man croaked, coughing as he scrambled back. “Keep your bitch on a leash.”

“Jacopo, that’s enough.” The entire caravan fell silent when the leader stood, as if waiting with bated breath for the executioner’s axe to fall, but he merely walked to the pot hanging over the small fire and scooped out a helping of what looked like porridge.

Fjord felt his stomach grumble in response, and the man glanced towards them as if he had sensed it. As the man regarded them idly, Fjord wasn’t so sure he hadn’t. There was an eerie sense of calm about him that raised all the hairs on Fjord’s neck and made him think that this was not a man to cross idly.

But the man just gestured for his men to lower their weapons. “No food for them. Three days,” he said into the quiet atmosphere as he sat back down to eat. He tossed one final, inscrutable glance towards their cage. “New blood’s always a bit difficult before they’re broken in. They’ll learn.” He shrugged one shoulder, face hardening. “Or starve.”

Fjord let out a long breath as the murmur of conversation started up, broken only by the occasional clink of chains or whimper from the other cages. His head fell back to rest against the bars behind him, and he allowed himself one moment of sheer, overwhelming _panic_ before he shook himself and took stock of their little group.

Jester was still out, which he wasn’t sure whether he should be worried about, and Yasha had settled into a stony silence that he was _definitely_ worried about. He decided to tackle one problem at a time.

He reached out to clasp Yasha’s shoulder. “Hey, you alright?” he asked, trying and failing for a reassuring grin. He winced and made a mental note to work on it. “Because you look worse than I feel.”

“I will be fine.” The answer was quiet but firm.

“That’s not what I asked.”

Yasha’s eyes flicked to him briefly before returning to the clear skies above. “I...do not like cages,” she said after a long pause. She rubbed one arm briskly, as if warding off a chill.

Fjord nodded. “Can’t say I’m a huge fan of them m’self at the moment.” He lowered his voice. “You have any idea where we are?”

Yasha shook her head. “I do not know. I was...out for a time, and I am unfamiliar with this country still.” She pointed one hand towards the distance, chains clinking as she moved, and something in her face twisted at the noise. “We’ve been moving towards the mountains all morning,” she said quietly, hands clenching and unclenching in her lap.

“Damn,” Fjord said. He shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position, and winced as his leg throbbed.

“Do you think we should wake her?” he asked, nodding toward Jester when Yasha looked at him.

She gave an infinitesimal shake of her head. “Let her rest while she can,” she said softly, “There is a long road ahead of us.”

Fjord sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He winced again, feeling his muscle start to shake. “D’ya mind taking her for a bit then? My leg’s cramping up somethin’ fierce.”

“Oh, sure.”

There was an awkward moment as they tried to figure out the best way to comfortably fit three people in the space of one. In the end they compromised; Fjord might have had to duck his head every time Yasha shifted from the bars digging into her back, but at least he could stretch his legs out, although he had to be mindful of Jester sandwiched at an angle between them, her head now laying in Yasha’s lap.

“You should have her take a look at those when she wakes up,” he said, nodding his head towards the bloody scratches down her arms.

Yasha snorted. “Do not bother.” She gripped her wrists, hands glowing briefly. When she took her hands away the scratches were gone. “I have survived much worse.”

Fjord raised one eyebrow, impressed. “That’s a neat trick.”

Yasha ducked her head. “I cannot do much, nothing like what Jester does, but it has come in handy, yes.” She was quiet for a long moment before she spoke again, haltingly, as if the words themselves were painful. “They will seek to break us, and they probably will, you understand this, yes?”

Fjord shook his head. “Don’t talk like that. We’re strong; we’ll make it through this, all three of us, together.”

Yasha looked at him with an expression that in anyone else might have been called pity, but on her face it was just...sad. “Everyone has a breaking point,” she said quietly. “For some it is hunger, others, pain.” She looked down and brushed a strand of hair from Jester’s face. “They will use those you care about against you, so it is best not to get attached, not to care.”

“Sounds like you speak from experience,” Fjord prodded gently.

Yasha ignored him, face schooled to stone when she looked up. “It is easier if you do what they say, if you do not fight them. Keep your head down and do not draw attention to yourself.”

Fjord raised an eyebrow, gesturing towards the guards with his chin. “Then what was that back there?”

Yasha hesitated. “I never said I was good at taking my own advice.”

“She’s doing it on purpose,” an unusually quiet voice piped up.

“Jester! You’re awake.” Yasha helped her sit up as Fjord obligingly scooted over as much as he could in the limited space.

“I’ve been awake for awhile,” Jester confessed. “I was hoping if I kept my eyes closed, I’d wake up, and this nightmare would be over.”

“‘Fraid not,” Fjord said as gently as he could before he frowned, remembering her words. “Wait, what did you mean she’s doing it on purpose?”

“If they’re watching her, they’re not watching us.” Jester tilted her head to the side. “Isn’t that right?”

Yasha shrugged one shoulder, refusing to look back. “I am...hard to miss. You should take advantage of it.”

“You’re trying to protect us,” Fjord realized.

“I have seen men like this before. I know how they work. I know what they are capable of. And―” She paused, staring down at her clenched fists before releasing them with a sigh.

“So you’ve already given up then,” Fjord interrupted, disappointment sitting heavy in his gut. He’d thought that of the three of them...

“You mistake patience for defeat.” Yasha’s eyes burned dark with a cold fury that sent a shiver down Fjord’s spine. His thoughts turned unbidden to the memory of the sea before a storm, calm, but no less dangerous for it. She blinked,and the sensation was gone. Familiar mismatched eyes stared back at him, exhaustion clear in her expression. “I know how to rebuild after breaking,” she continued quietly, leaning back against the bars, gaze searching the cloudless sky once more. Her voice hardened. “If there is an opportunity to escape, you will take it, and you will not look back.”

“We are friends,” Jester said, expression uncharacteristically serious as she sat up, “We escape together or not at all. We’re not leaving you behind. Besides―” She grinned suddenly as a clap of thunder rang out above them despite the clear skies overhead, making the horses stamp and buck in their harnesses and the guards look up in confusion. “We have the Traveler on our side.” She cocked her head to the side. “Do we have the Stormlord?”

Yasha hesitated. “I do not know,” she said finally, “but he favors those who help themselves.” She shook her head slowly, thoughtfully. “If he is not here, then that means we have the strength to see this through on our own.”

“That’s an...interestin’ way of lookin’ at it,” Fjord said. He had said his share of prayers to the Stormlord. Every sailor worth his salt had, but he had never thought of the absence of one’s god as a comfort.

“I do not understand a god who does not help when he is needed,” Jester said with a frown, echoing his own thoughts.

“And I do not understand a god who only helps when he thinks it will be funny,” Yasha countered, shrugging one shoulder. She raised her hands when Jester bristled. “And yet I am grateful for his assistance all the same.”

Jester settled back down with a pout, seemingly placated, and Fjord let out a low breath, glad that a potential argument had been averted. “It does not matter anyway, the others will come for us,” Jester muttered. A rare note of hesitation crept into her voice. “Won’t they?”

“Molly will,” Yasha said firmly before looking down. “I do not know about the rest.”

Fjord snorted. “If you think Beau wouldn’t be kickin’ the door down right beside him, you haven’t spent enough time around that girl.”

“Caleb and Nott will come too,” Jester said quietly. “They are our friends and good people, even if sometimes they need reminding.”

Fjord nodded, making sure to catch both their eyes. “We are the Mightly Nein, even when we are apart, and these slavers will regret ever hearing our name.” He held out one hand. Jester bared her teeth in a vicious grin and clasped it. Yasha hesitated only briefly before placing her hand on top of theirs. They stayed like that for a moment, and Fjord felt a renewed sense of hope.

“So we wait,” Jester said as they let go, shifting about in search of a more comfortable position.

“We wait,” Yasha echoed, a hint of what could maybe be a smile tugging at her lips.

Fjord felt a chill touch brush against the back of his mind, like a shark lazily circling its prey before it chose the moment to strike. It felt strangely approving.

_Patience_

He watched as a few drops of saltwater fell from his hand, his falchion ready to be called into existence with a thought. He clenched his fist, dismissing the impulse to bring his weapon to bear. The shark could circle a little longer. After all, its prey wasn’t going anywhere soon.

“We wait,” Fjord repeated grimly.

**Author's Note:**

> I realize Fjord's patron is probably some kraken/cthulhu creature, but all I can think of is some eldritch-type megalodon or something. Also, shark eyes reflect light like a cat's, and that's pretty cool.
> 
> Also, also, working off the current headcanon background of Yasha as some kind of gladiator/pit fighter, because, uh, otherwise I got nothin'. 
> 
> Anyways, hope ya'll enjoyed.


End file.
